Large Gator Caught this morning

Holy schlamoly

That there is a dinosaur.

I catch a large Gator fan in bed with me every morning.

Oh my gosh, SJ! That is huge

I just noticed that when I click on the picture that the name of the Lake comes up.

I used to ski there with my uncle. If he ever wants to ski with me again, I think I'll invite him up here.

I just noticed that when I click on the picture that the name of the Lake comes up.

I used to ski there with my uncle. If he ever wants to ski with me again, I think I'll invite him up here.

My friends and I use to ski in the creek where the 12 ft gator, with the missing tail piece was caught. The gators never messed with us.

My friends and I use to ski in the creek where the 12 ft, with the missing tail piece was caught. The gators never messed with us.

But are you a better skiier than me?

Me too!!! and back then the only thing I was afraid of was the Garre (sp!)





ge(< my delete button has quite on me!)

But are you a better skiier than me?

I preferred knee-boarding to skiing, but had to give it up after some knee board injuries. I use to think that I wasn't injury prone, because I never broke any bones other than my big toe on two occasions (once when waterskiing!), but I also seemed to get mucked up, now that I think about it. Today, I'd rather take photos of other people doing those crazy things. Heck, I even gave up kickball. Now if you would like for me to take your photo skiing with big gators in the background, let me know, and I'll put dad's boat in the water and meet you there. Want to go?

I just remembered a time when we headed way north, beyond our usual skiing area, in the heart of alligator country where the Refuge is located. They are literally, everywhere. Actually, that would be the same place where the one in the photo was caught this morning. :shock: We were being pulled behind the boat on small canvas rafts like you might find at Publix. It was mucho fun, but we had been trying to outrun a storm. The storm caught up with us, so we stopped to get in the boat, in order to get the heck out of there pronto! When I realized where we were, I about crapped my pants. I had been working at the refuge for only a couple of weeks and had been told about all of the gators in the area where we had stopped. The wind was blowing the boat into the grass as we tried to make our way to the boat. I grew intensely terrified about the gators. We made it onto the boat without incident, but the storm was popping lightning all around us, and now we were stuck on this sand bar with the wind blowing from the south. Dad sent me and my friend back into gator water :shock: to try and push us off the sand bar, which meant we were pushing the boat back into the wind as we stood in this grassy muck which looked like the perfect place for a gator to live. We managed to get the boat off the sandbar and got back in the boat, but my friend and I were more than a little scared by it all. After working more at the Refuge during that summer, I began to grow more at ease seeing the gators and being in the same water with them occasionally popping up around us to see what we were up to. At that Refuge, they were basically undisturbed by people, and I think they are less likely to cause trouble when the occasional person comes into contact with them. Around here, where people hang out around them all the time, they are a little more scary to me.

I thought alligators were a protected species, does your son work for Game and Fish Commission or one of those services that removes a nuisance gator.

If so, not a job I would want, that is one big gator.

SJ....do they need a license to kill an alligator. Or do they go out hunting alligator? I'm confused about who can do this....and was it becasue it was close to a refuge area????

It kind of didn't make me feel so good to see something hanging like that. But I'm not into knowing the ins and out of gator hunting.

Minnie, it is not my son or grandson in the post. It was sent from a friend a family member.

As for alligators, over the years, the populations have grown very large in some areas, and they now have alligator hunting season, just like they do for many other game species. In FL, I think the tag limit is two per season. I have no idea what the tag limits are for gators in Alabama or Georgia. The gator in this photo in my first post was killed in either GA or AL, not sure which since the State line meets in the middle of the River channel. The Wildlife Refuge is open to hunting during the seasons, with special permits, not much different from the State Forests in SoWal being opened for hunting with restrictions and permits. However, according to the person who wrote about this particular gator, she notes that it was killed north of the Refuge.

I, too, don't like the looks of the gator dangling from the yellow equipment. Kind of takes away from primitive forms of hunting. Did you see the size of that hook in the gator's mouth? Really, if they are going to have their photo taken with the trophy, I think it would look best to have the gator on the ground as though it were still live. Having it hoisted into the air, reminds me too much of someone being hanged, like there is much being more being said than, "we killed a trophy gator."

I too find the photo disturbing. It just saddens me to see him hanging there and the two people smiling and touching it. I hate those pictures of people smiling and holding up the heads of the dead deers they kill as well. And yes, I am a meat eater, and yes, I understand about hunting and all and the reasons for it, but it is just hard for me to look at the pictures of the "kill".

Heck, I even gave up kickball.

Don't give up kickball! It's too much fun!

Now if you would like for me to take your photo skiing with big gators in the background, let me know, and I'll put dad's boat in the water and meet you there. Want to go?

How 'bout we go to another part of the lake, ski, take some pictures, then (after double-checking the forecast for impending storms) we can ride up and take some pictures of the gators. That's what Photo Shop is for.

I just remembered a time when we headed way north, beyond our usual skiing area, in the heart of alligator country where the Refuge is located. They are literally, everywhere...We managed to get the boat off the sandbar and got back in the boat, but my friend and I were more than a little scared by it all.

I have a similar story about working as a lifeguard in central Florida and having to rescue a stranded paddleboat in gator-infested waters during a storm. Of course, these gators were little, but it still was a rough afternoon for my nerves!

After working more at the Refuge during that summer, I began to grow more at ease seeing the gators and being in the same water with them occasionally popping up around us to see what we were up to. At that Refuge, they were basically undisturbed by people, and I think they are less likely to cause trouble when the occasional person comes into contact with them. Around here, where people hang out around them all the time, they are a little more scary to me.

That truly is the sad and scary part...The little gators at that camp would swim up to the paddleboats hoping to get some Cheetos. Wildlife is better left wild.

I too find the photo disturbing. It just saddens me to see him hanging there and the two people smiling and touching it. I hate those pictures of people smiling and holding up the heads of the dead deers they kill as well. And yes, I am a meat eater, and yes, I understand about hunting and all and the reasons for it, but it is just hard for me to look at the pictures of the "kill".

i'm with you on this one - it's sad. the deer pics just tear me up. i even hate to see sharks strung up like that....

When I see a photo of something like this good size gator hanging from a back hoe, I want the people in the photo to at least look a little worn and beaten, like they just wrestled with it for several hours while trying to catch it. I'd guess that once hooked, most people just pop a cap in the gator's head. Even if the gator was dead when they pulled it into the boat, how the heck do four people lean over the side of a boat and pull in a 500# animal which is over 12' long? The real fight would have been to pull it into the boat while it was still alive. Live to tell about that one, and maybe you should have your photo taken.

When I see a photo of something like this good size gator hanging from a back hoe, I want the people in the photo to at least look a little worn and beaten, like they just wrestled with it for several hours while trying to catch it. I'd guess that once hooked, most people just pop a cap in the gator's head. Even if the gator was dead when they pulled it into the boat, how the heck do four people lean over the side of a boat and pull in a 500# animal which is over 12' long? The real fight would have been to pull it into the boat while it was still alive. Live to tell about that one, and maybe you should have your photo taken.

Me too SJ....you

Reminded me of the one in Central Fl a while back that had a golfer in his belly

Thanks Joe, for the explanation and you know I am so glad I asked. As I kept looking at it and thinking should I ask or let it go.

As others there was just something about it hanging there, that disturbed me. I understand the need for elimination for the sake of preservation and I am definitely a meat eater but I am very squimish about looking at dead meat even at the grocery. I can also appreicate the need to remove and destroy nuisance alligators such as the one Biff mentioned.

However I have never been one to appreciate the "trophy" kill and the photo that follows, like you; something about it hanging from a back hoe just bothered me.

And I guess there is just a little of the Croc Hunter in me that can recognize the beauty of something that has survived that long.

Again thanks for the explanation.

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gator!!!!:shock:

Not the best photo or way to show off your achievement of catching a record breaker, but I take photos of all my accomplishments, whether they be mountains I've climbed, fish I've caught, places I've visited etc.